The biggest hits and flops in IPL history

To use the obscene parameters by which modern-day life is judged, we look at the 5 years of IPL so far and see who justified the money they got with their performances.

By combining the impact a player made that IPL year with the public pay packet he got, we determine who delivered the most value, and the least. Sometimes, the sheer magnitude of the pay packet makes certain performances, which would be deemed adequate otherwise, seem like not such a good value, so to prevent such performances/names from getting into the list (like Andrew Flintoff in 2009, who had a more-than-reasonable IMPACT of 2.29 in 3 matches which still did not justify a pay-packet of $1,550,000), we limit the flops to players who did not even register an IMPACT of 1 per match.

Shane Watson was the highest impact player in 2008 (he is also the highest impact player in IPL history, as it happens). Besides his remarkable consistency, he delivered big match performances in both the semi-final and final for Rajasthan Royals, which also transformed into a tournament-defining performance (as RR won that season). He had a failure rate (the inability to register an IMPACT of even 1 in a match) of just 7% that IPL season. A true international star was born that year.

His wicket-taking ability, coupled with good economy, and the ability to break partnerships, brought Sangwan good dividends in South Africa. A memorable performance against eventual winners Deccan Chargers (3 for 18 in 4 overs) was his highest impact performance that IPL season.

He may not have been amongst the highest impact players in the tournament but Voges delivered consistent support for Rajasthan Royals in the middle-order batting. A high Runs Tally IMPACT (proportion of runs in the match) and Pressure IMPACT (absorbing the pressure of falling wickets) characterised his performances. For $ 50,000, he was a great value-for-money player as compared to many high-priced players in the tournament.

A wicket-taker who is stingy with runs and even tends to build pressure with quick wickets. His high point came earlier in the tournament (4-26 in 4 overs and 11 in 3 balls) and it is a pity he has been injured ever since (and back home). Other hits in 2012 so far:

On a team level, just on the basis of the list above, we get an interesting picture. It emerges from this that Rajasthan Royals (despite the financial disaster on Henderson in 2009) have the best record of getting the most effective players for less. Delhi Daredevils have a history of getting hits and flops in equal measure and tend to take more risks than others. As do Royal Challengers Bangalore somewhat but their flops are more pronounced than their hits. On this list, Pune Warriors has a good record of 3 hits and 1 flop but overall (and especially in 2012), their buying has been shaky. However, that’s another story for another time.

India’s supremacy in the match can be understood by the fact that all the three highest Impact performances generated in the match came from Virat Kohli, Gautam Gambhir and Irfan Pathan. More »Kohli and Gambhir torment Lanka, again

As part of a generation of cricket fans too young to remember Viv Richards or Clive Lloyd, we relied on mythology to learn about those inimitable West Indies teams of the 1970s and ‘80s who ruthlessly crushed opponents to the tune of their magnetic rhythm. Perhaps no team has ever transcended the sport quite like those inimitable West Indies, comprised of a collection of effervescent players that even captured the hearts of opposition fans. Legendary pacemen Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh were in their primes, and a young Brian Lara beguiled with the bat but it was obvious the West Indies were on the slide. More »The West Indies are evoking their legendary teams of the 1980s

As part of a generation of cricket fans too young to remember Viv Richards or Clive Lloyd, we relied on mythology to learn about those inimitable West Indies teams of the 1970s and ‘80s who ruthlessly crushed opponents to the tune of their magnetic rhythm. Perhaps no team has ever transcended the sport quite like those …

By Amlan Chakraborty NEW DELHI (Reuters) - There was never an iota of doubt over Joe Root's class since his 2012 test debut against India but the 25-year-old Yorkshireman's latest heroics have left many wondering if he is England's best ever batsman across the three formats of the game. Root is among the rare breed of Twenty20 batsmen who need not sacrifice aesthetics to score freely, a virtue he displayed with a magnificent 83 in England's campaign-reviving victory against South Africa in Friday's World Twenty20 match in Mumbai. "He is the best England batsman across all forms of cricket... ever," former England captain Nasser Hussain told Sky Sports after the team chased down an imposing target of 230 to record a two-wicket win. More »Classy Root flourishes into master of all formats

By Amlan Chakraborty NEW DELHI (Reuters) - There was never an iota of doubt over Joe Root's class since his 2012 test debut against India but the 25-year-old Yorkshireman's latest heroics have left many wondering if he is England's best ever batsman across the three formats of the game. Root is among the rare breed of …